Bengaluru hospital crowd-funds oxygen machines, food for patients and staff

St John’s Hospital management said that they need assistance in six pivotal areas that would cost them Rs 1,50,00,000.
COVID19 pandemic
COVID19 pandemic

The Management and Alumni Association of St. John’s Hospital of Bengaluru have started an online fundraising campaign to fund the COVID-19 work of the hospital. Through the crowdfunding platform Milaap (The fundraiser), the hospital has raised Rs 53,39,522 as of May 9. It aims to raise Rs 1,50,00,000. The alleged delays caused in the reimbursement and inadequate funds from the government’s end prompted the hospital to crowd-fund to continue with their operations. 

St John’s Hospital in Bengaluru was mandated to provide a “large proportion” of their beds by the Karnataka government and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for COVID-19 treatment. This also requires the hospital to buy all medication except the antiviral drug, Remdesivir. St John’s Hospital started the online campaign to raise funds for six resources. 
 
> Oxygen support — Additional oxygen (8000cuM per day); Special HFNC cannulas to provide high concentrations of oxygen; oxygen concentrators ( 25 machines with 10-litre capacity) 2. PPE kits including the full suit and N 95 mask                                          
 
> Food costs for patients and frontline workers
 
> Hand Sanitiser (200 litres per day)
 
> Pulse oximeters
 
> High Flow Nasal Cannula (HFNC) Unit
 
Speaking to TNM, Dr Sanjiv Lewin, Chief of Medical Services, St John's Hospital, said that among the 1,100 beds, nearly 849 are occupied by the COVID-19 patients. Of this, nearly 650 patients have been admitted after the government referral.
 
“Our hospital is a non-corporate, not-for-profit hospital; the revenue generated to pay the staff, oxygen, medication, masks, PPE kits and other necessary facilities like electricity and water comes predominately from the non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 non-SAST ‘private' patients who are admitted in the hospital. The hospital may not receive the revenue for many months for the government patients. Even if we do, the funds are inadequate in comparison with the treatment being provided,” Dr Lewin said. 
 
Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Scheme (SAST) is a state government scheme. Under this, COVID-19 patients, who are given bed under government quota in private hospitals, are referred to as SAST patients. COVID-19 patients, who are directly admitted to private hospitals, are non-SAST patients. 
 
The government cleared only 75% of the revenue that the hospital should have received in the first wave of COVID-19, making operations a challenge, Dr Lewin alleged. The funds were released after multiple meetings with the officials for clarifications. Besides, the financial packages fail to understand the clinical realities of complex disease and organ system involvement, he said.

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